


It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to

by nadiaselite



Category: Cloak & Dagger (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I suck at tags, Kind of angsty, but like not really, idk - Freeform, season 1 fic, soft, tandy's birthday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 18:43:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17371301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nadiaselite/pseuds/nadiaselite
Summary: It’s Tandy’s birthday. Her mom completely forgot about it. Liam is still in jail. And Tyrone probably didn’t even know it was her birthday. Or so she thought.





	It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bellastop](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellastop/gifts).



> I AM SO SORRY BELLA THIS IS SO LATE I'VE LITERALLY BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR SO MANY MONTHS IT'S RIDICULOUS. EVEN NOW I FEEL LIKE IT WAS TOO ABRUPT BUT IDK MAYBE I'M OVERTHINKING THIS. IT'S MY FIRST CLOAK AND DAGGER FIC AND I HAVEN'T REWATCHED THE SHOW ENOUGH TIMES TO TRULY KNOW THE CHARACTERS TO THE DEPTH I'D LIKE. 
> 
> BUT, HAPPY LATE LATE LATE LATE BIRTHDAY. I LOVE YOU SM AND AGAIN I AM SO SO SO SORRY THAT THIS TOOK SO LONG. STILL HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT.
> 
> XX

Tandy rolled over in bed, rays of sunlight peering through her window into her otherwise dark room. She pulled the covers over her head letting out a loud groan.

All she wanted to do was lie in bed today. If she didn’t leave the comfort of her bed she couldn’t possibly be disappointed, but deep down she knew it wasn’t true. Even with no expectations at all somehow the universe managed to laugh at her pain.

She reached out towards her messy nightstand knocking over several things before she could wrap her hand around a large glass bottle. Before even opening her eyes she brought it to her mouth and let the alcohol burns down her chest.

The only thing that could take her pain away was this room temperature bottle of whiskey. At least if her incompetent mother and her many suitors were good for anything it was an endless supply of alcohol.

Tandy found herself flinching at the sound of her bedroom door swinging open and hitting the wall. Her mother rushing in and frantically digging through her drawers. “Tandy. Where is it?”

Tandy sat up in her bed, ignoring her mother’s insanity as she downed the rest of the bottle. Of course, her mother had no idea what day it was. Guaranteed, she didn’t care.

Her father would have cared.

She flinched at the thought. Not a day went by that she didn’t miss her father, but since everything that happened with Mina’s dad, she couldn’t shake him. The sound of his voice haunted her every night.

“Tandy.” Her mother turned towards her with her hands on her hips, a distraught look in her eyes.

Tandy looked over her mother once more, taking in her disheveled hair and tear-stained cheeks. Clearly, she was going through _another_ breakup, or maybe she got fired again? Who could tell anymore? It was a quick but a never-ending cycle.

Her mom rolled her eyes as she rushed out of her room, slamming the bedroom door behind her. But she wouldn’t even bother to ask. It wasn’t worth fighting over. Not today.

Tandy rolled out of bed quickly changing her clothes, brushing her teeth, and gathering her things. This was the last place she wanted to be. Especially today of all days.  

She tucked in a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of tequila into her backpack before sneaking out of her bedroom window. The last thing she wanted was to deal with her.

Tandy made a few stops before she found herself outside her safe haven, St. Theresa’s Church. It was sad that this abandoned church made her feel more at home than her actual home. But that was her reality.

A part of her felt guilty for wanting to get drunk in what used to be a church, but she was sure God would understand. The alcohol was just her way of taking her own pain away.

It was her birthday and she could cry if she wanted to.

Upon walking in she felt her breath get caught in her chest, tears welling up in her eyes. Tyrone stood in the middle of the room with a soft smile on his face and a small chocolate cake in his hands.

“Happy Birthday, Tandy.” Tyrone cautiously stepped closer to her with the cake.

He wasn’t sure if she was even the type to celebrate her birthday. At least she didn’t seem like the type. But when he found out he couldn’t help but try to celebrate it anyway. Nothing too extreme. Just some cake, alcohol, and some food.

The Tandy way.

Ever since everything with Mina and her father she’d become so distant. Sure, they talked on the phone here and there. Occasionally meeting at the church when they needed to clear their minds, but she wasn’t herself. He wanted to help her.

Tandy couldn’t even move as she stared at him. She hadn’t ever mentioned her birthday. But even if she had she definitely didn’t expect him to remember.

No one ever remembered.

After what felt like an eternity her body finally allowed her to step towards him. She carefully blew out the candle, her eyes not once leaving his.

She had to fight every ounce of her being to not wrap him up in her arms. But damn she wanted to hug him so bad. She wanted to feel the warmth of his body against hers. She needed it.

Tyrone could smell the alcohol on her breath as she blew out the candle. He felt a tug at his heart. Tandy turned to alcohol when she wanted to avoid something. Surely her birthday was a day she just avoided talking about altogether.

Tandy followed Tyrone to the small table set up for the two of them. There were two plates on each end with covers on top. Clearly, he’d taken the time to really plan this out. But really him just remembering her birthday was enough for her.

She took a seat on one end of the table pulling out a bottle of whiskey and pouring some into the glass. At least she wouldn’t be drinking alone today. It wasn’t what she imagined, but if there was anyone she’d want to share with her birthday it was Tyrone.

They were polar opposites. He was the stereotypical jock. Good grades, kind heart, etc. She was just a thief with daddy issues and no real goals in life. She was no good for him and she knew it. But she couldn’t stay away.

Tyrone lightly chuckled as he pulled out the same bottle of whiskey in her hands. “I should’ve known you’d bring a bottle of your own.”

Tandy lightly laughed, tears once again welling up in her eyes. “The more the merrier.”

She took a sip of whiskey trying to gain the courage to thank him for all of this. But her mind couldn’t quite conjure up the right words to say.

As he pulled the cover from her plate a small cloud of steam brushed up against her face, the smell instantly making her mouth water. Even the meal was perfect. Steak with a side of steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes.

“Ty.” She looked up at him through her lashes trying to think of what she could possibly say to make him understand how grateful she was. But nothing would ever be enough. So she settled for a simple _thank you_.

A single tear ran down her cheek. He quickly stood up his hand hovering above her cheek for a few seconds before he could manage to pull it away. Tyrone wanted nothing more than to wipe it away, but given their situation that was a bad idea.

He wanted to touch her. Wipe her tears. Hug her. Show her that she wasn’t alone and that she never would be as long as she had him.

Tandy quickly wiped at her cheek with the back of her hand, momentarily dropping her gaze to the floor as she gathered herself together. “How did you even know it was my birthday?”

She could physically see Tyrone lose himself in his thoughts. A light flicker of his attention into some unknown memory.

“Ty.”

He snapped back into reality as he lifted the cover from his own plate. “Well, we were on the phone a few nights ago. You were a little drunk and probably tired. You were slipping in and out of sleep basically the whole time.” He lightly chuckled.

She’d spent that night trying to stay up to keep him company while he worked on his paper. She probably lectured him for an hour about how useless it all was in the real world. She wasn’t wrong about that. The world didn’t care about any of that, people didn’t care. They’d take your life away in the blink of an eye. Like your life meant nothing at all.

He shook the darkness lingering in his head, bringing his attention back to Tandy. “I don’t know. I think I told you I wanted to know the normal things about you like your birthday or your favorite type of ice cream.”

Tandy’s lips curled into a soft smile. She remembered trying to keep him entertained while he worked on some stupid school assignment, but she didn’t remember much.

“You whispered your birthday before falling asleep.” Tyrone cut into his steak in a hope that maybe she’d eat some too. And maybe she wouldn’t think he was absolutely insane for putting this all together. He definitely felt insane.

He awkwardly shifted in his seat. “I didn’t know if you celebrated or not. But judging by how things have been lately I figured I’d do a little something for you. I’m sorry if you-”

“No. No.” Another tear slipped down her cheek, her breath catching in the back of her throat. She really didn’t deserve him. “I love it.”

Tyrone began to play with his food for a few seconds, breaking eye contact just long enough to gather his thoughts. “Really because I wasn’t sure what you’d want. Or if the cake was too much. Or maybe you don’t like the steak. I mean we can go-”

“Ty. Relax.” Tandy let out a genuine laugh. Tyrone was definitely a perfectionist and seeing him squirm over something so trivial was amusing. “The fact that you even remembered my birthday was more than enough for me.”

He ducked his head, the blood rushing to his face leaving a small red stain in his cheeks. God, why was he so nervous? It was just Tandy. She’s just a friend if he could even call whatever this weird relationship was a friendship.

He barely knew her but something about her just made him feel drawn to her. Maybe it was fate or destiny if any of that was even real. Whatever it was he always felt his palms grow sweaty when he was around her, goosebumps spread across his body. She kept him on his toes in a way he can’t quite understand how to cope with. 

Tandy took a bite out of the steak, a rush of flavors almost too overwhelming for her mouth. The last time she'd had food like this she was robbing some rich guy at one of his parties. 

Tandy could feel her heart in her chest. Damn it Tyrone looked so good. He always looked good. She quickly shook the thought. It didn’t matter how good he looked because they couldn’t be together, not the way she wanted.

She momentarily closed her eyes to take in the moment. Even if he was just a friend, she was grateful. Because he was the best friend she'd ever had. Maybe the only real friend she'd ever had.

"You know what Ty?" Tandy sat up in her seat as she addressed him, flashing a smile in his direction. "I'm surprised you'd slum it with me when you could be doing much better things with your time."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Tandy." He pressed his lips into a firm line. It hurt him to hear her say that. Or to even think that, that was something going through her head. 

"Surprisingly enough I like you." Tyrone flashed a smile right back.  "You may not admit it, but I know you care about more than just yourself."

"Oh really?" She took another sip of her drink, her eyes locked on his. It was her lame attempt to hide her growing smile. 

All her life all she'd heard was how selfish she was or how she was heartless. Everyone always made her out to be some monster. But not him. 

"You're damaged. You push people away. You don't trust easily. You like to hurt people before they get the chance to hurt you." And immediately he could see the light leave her eyes, the realization settles in. 

"You care so much that you feel this constant burden on your shoulders. You run away from your problems, but you always come back because you're incapable of just abandoning anything. You have this need to fix things that you can't fix." He rests his elbows on the table leaning forward to take in her confused expression. "You're a better person than you let yourself believe, Tandy."

She felt her heart sink in. He saw her. Past her facade. Past all the deep-rooted issues that not even she could explain. He saw her in the same light her father did. 

And she was as grateful as ever.

"Knowing all that you still put up with me. Why?" It was a loaded question. She couldn't quite grasp why anyone would knowingly stay around after knowing all that. Her mom barely did.

"Like I said, I actually like you. I care about you." Tyrone took a sip of his whiskey masking his internal screams. Damn it this girl drove him insane. But that was one of the many things he loved about her. 

They continued to eat. Occasionally breaking the silence for some banter here and there. They got drunk and lied on the floor of the church. Talking about life and how they’d come to be so damaged. Most of the night was a blur and they couldn’t quite make out what happened once the sunset but Tandy knew it was the best birthday she’d had in a long time.

Everything with Ty felt easier. She found comfort in his presence. He felt like home. Her home.


End file.
